So this has been.my favorite song of OTEP's since it came out in 2004, and I always thought it was a song about a child's narrative of suffering in an abusive Christian home. But now that I am revisiting the lyrics, I am seeing something totally new.
This song could be gospel of John but from the perspective of Jesus.
Jesus was NOT having a good time up to and during the crucifixion. Everyone in the known world at the time looked to him with fear, admiration or disgust and he was constantly being asked questions. He spoke in "verses, prophesies and curses". He had made an enemy of the state, and believed the world was increasingly wicked and fallen from grace, or that he was in the "mouth of madness".
The spine of atlas is the structure that allows the titan to hold the world up. Jesus challenged the state and in doing so became a celebrated resistance figure. It also made him public enemy #1.
All of this happened simply because he was doing his thing, not because of any agenda he had or strategy.
And then he gets scourged (storm of thorns)
There are some plot holes here but I think it's an interesting interpretation.
Hey, hey, my, my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Hey, hey, my, my
Out of the blue and into the black
You pay for this, but they give you that
And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black
The king is gone but he's not forgotten (Johnny Rotten, Johnny Rotten)
Is this the story of Johnny Rotten? (Johnny Rotten, Rotten Johnny)
It's better to burn out 'cause rust never sleeps
The king is gone but he's not forgotten
Hey, hey, my, my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Hey, hey, my, my
Out of the blue and into the black
You pay for this, but they give you that
And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black
The king is gone but he's not forgotten (Johnny Rotten, Johnny Rotten)
Is this the story of Johnny Rotten? (Johnny Rotten, Rotten Johnny)
It's better to burn out 'cause rust never sleeps
The king is gone but he's not forgotten
Hey, hey, my, my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye
Lyrics submitted by magicnudiesuit
Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) Lyrics as written by Jeff Blackburn Neil Young
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The best version of this song is the acoustic version Neil played at Golden Gate park in 1995 with Pearl Jam. Neil and PJ were touring together and a few songs into the set, Eddie got sick (he could barely sing, he was so sick) and Neil came out and played a full concert set with Pearl Jam as his backing band. But the acoustic version of Into the Black (this version, not the usual acoustic version) really stole the show IMO. It was a PJ crowd so the tension was enormous without actual Pearl Jam songs, but everyone knew this tune and it was a great moment.